The present invention relates generally to human input devices for computing systems, and, more particularly, to a computer pointing device.
One of the most popular ways to position a cursor on a computer display is to use a mouse, which functions by detecting two dimensional motions relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse comprises an object held under one of a user's hands, with one or more buttons. Clicking or hovering (stopping movement while the cursor is within the bounds of an area) can select files, programs or actions from a list of names, or (in graphical interfaces) through small images called “icons” and other elements. For example, a text file might be represented by a picture of a paper notebook, and clicking while the cursor hovers over this icon may cause a text editing program to open the file in a window.
However, conventional mice employ a relative coordinate system to position cursors. In a relative coordinate system, a cursor's coordinates are derived from the cursor's last coordinates and the mouse's travel distance, angle and speed. If an icon is on one side of a display while the cursor's last location is on the other side of the display, a computer user would have to drag the mouse over a sizable distance or with high speed to move the cursor over to the icon. In contrast, in an absolute coordinate system, a cursor's coordinates are derived directly from the mouse's current coordinates regardless of its last location. By employing absolute coordinate system, a computer user can directly place a cursor at a desired location without mouse dragging movement.
As such, what is desired is a computer pointing device that can automatically switch between relative coordinate mode and absolute coordinate mode.
The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification are included to depict certain aspects of the invention. A clearer conception of the invention, and of the components and operation of systems provided with the invention, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings, wherein like reference numbers (if they occur in more than one view) designate the same elements. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the description presented herein.